Therapeutic Cloning: Hope or Hype?

The President's Council on Bioethics was established in 2001 to advise President George W. Bush on ethical issues in biomedical science and technology, such as human cloning and stem cell research. Dr. Janet D. Rowley, one of the 17 experts named to t...

Summary

The President's Council on Bioethics was established in 2001 to advise President George W. Bush on ethical issues in biomedical science and technology, such as human cloning and stem cell research. Dr. Janet D. Rowley, one of the 17 experts named to the council and a professor at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine, explores the scientific differences between reproductive cloning (the cloning of a complete individual) and therapeutic cloning (cloning of specialized cells, such as heart muscle or nerve cells, with the intent to cure disease). While she and the members of the council feel therapeutic cloning should be allowed, they warn that reproductive cloning should be banned. Copyright 2003 The University of Chicago.